Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-18
MIR. CKENsHAw's STATEMENT.
He Did Not Direct the investigation
of Deputy johnson.
Collector Crenshaw furnishes the fol-
lowing for publication:


of Deputy johnson.
Collector Crenshaw furnishes the fol-
lowing for publication:
U. S. INT. REV. CoLLEcToR's OFFICE,
DISTRICT OF GEORGIA. (
ATLANTA, GA, FEB. II, loSo'
EditOrs telegram: did not desire to have
anything To say at present IN the pubic print
touching the differences OF Revenue Agent
Chapman ana myself, and would say nothing
more now in my own defense, but since Mr.
Chapman has seen proper to lug In Messrs'
O'Farreil, OF Athens and Mark John-
ston, dlluding to them in a manner
clearly uncalled for, feel it my duty winch
l owe friends to expose the false statements
published by him concerning my actions To-
ward Messrs. O'Farrell and Johnston. he
charges that | caused HIM TO use his own
langua2ey ITO report his my) own men" 10
the Commissioner and to see the men remov-
ed in that way, thus leading the men to think
that the loss OF their places was due solely 10
him tme). That is what / Chapman meant
by his (myl duplicity. That is the way ne
treated OFarrell, OF Athens, Mark Johnston
and Others"
1t is untrue that caused Mr.. Chapman to
investigate the conduct Of those gentlemen.
| presume the report upon its face VIII show
the reasons for the investigation and report
concerning Mr.. O'Farrell. In the matter OF
Deputy Johnston, Mr.. Chapman received his
instructions direct while in Washlnvto ton Clty,
ana IL occurred In this way: MIR. w. j. Brake
wholesale liquor dealer of Mllledgeyllle,
felt aggrleyed at a seizure and sale by Mr..
Johnston of package of gin, and on the very
day of the seizure MIR. Brake wrote or tele-
| graphed the Commissioner of Internal Reye-
| nue. at Washington, ID. c., directly. OF his
| grievances, and asked for protection
Mr., Chapman being IN WASHINGTON
city at that time, the Comm lssloner gave nm
the Information received from Mr.. Brake,
| and directed HIM to proceed to Mllledgevllle
| and in vestgate the matter. the first knowl-
| edge that 1 had that Mr.. Chapman had been
/ directed INVESTIGATION
| hbited by him to me in my office as he passed
| through Atlanta en- route to Mllledgevllle
from Washington. After reading what Mr..
Brake had informed the Comm issioner, |
| showed him Chapman telegram from
| Mr.. Brake, directed to me. to the same effect.
and. as | recollect, in the same language. L
| remarked that | wired Mr.. Blake in reply
''Rest easy. 1 will permit nothing unlawful
| to be done" Before MIR. Chapman return
| ed from Washington Mr.. Johnston, by
my direction, came immedlately to Atlanta.
| After hearing his statement refused to BUS
| tain the seizure, ana at once directed Deputy
Johnston to return to Mr.. Brake the money
| for which the gin was sold, together with
| such damages as Mr.. Brake may have sus-
| tanned by reason of his ,JOhnston's) mistake.
To establish the fact that was In no manner
| Instrumental in the investigation OF Mr.
| Johnston. wired Mr.. Brake this morning as
| follows: when Mark Johnston seized your
gin did you or did you not report the same by
| telegram TO the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue? and If you did, did suggest for you
|
swer by wire" To this Mr. Brake telegraphs
| me:
when Mark Johnston seized my gin
telegraphea you; also wrote to you and the
| Commissioners, at Washington, ID. c., with
NV. j. BRAKE"
81 am sure the Commissioner of Internal
! Revenue will not say that | suggested to him
| to direct Mr.. Chapman to make the investi-
| CATION Of Deputy Johnston. 1 now dery Mr..
! Chapman 30 show wherein the statements
| here made are incorrect. Very respectfully.
| THOMAS 9. CRENsHAw. JR."
In the Crenshaw-Chapman difficulty,
in an interview with the latter there were
some structures on the official conduct of
| Deputy Collector Fite. Mr. Fite has
| furnished the press the following in reply
| to Col. Chapman's charges:
Since Mr.. Chapman, internal revenue
agent. has seen proper to lug my name in to
the papers in connection with the difficulty
| between himself and Collector Crenshaw, /
desire to make this brief statement: | did
| make the surveys of W. L. Whaley and II.
Z. Strickland u Co., in Clayton county, W hic h
| Is out of my division.
| When went to make the survey for Mr..
| Whaley he han everything ready except his
| fermenters; | then gave him the proper di-
| mansions by which to make them, telling him
| the survey could not be completed until they
were made. In a day or two | received a let
| ter from Mr.. Whaley, saying the fermenters
| had been made as directed. then completed
| tv, whom believed then and now believe to
| be an honest man: and if there is little va
| rance of an inch or so between the survey
| and the actual measurement of the fermen Mt
| ers it Is doubtless the fault of the carpenters
Some time afterward | went IT, make the
survey for II. p. Strickland & CO.. and
finding them not ready | returned they
promising to be ready in four or five DAYS, at
which time l went back and found them
scarcely ready then, but made the survey.
On measuring the fermenters l found them
bout one inch too long, three-quarters OF an
inch too wide, and one and a half inches too
high instructed Mr.. Strickland to change
the fermtnters so that they would correspond
with the survey, which he promised to do. l
| don't know whether Mr.. strickland made the
| change or not, but am informed he did not.
| am satisfied he meant no wrong to the gov
ernment, for he has the reputation of being
! an honest man, and as the variance was so
| slight he probably did not think it important
to make the change. or perhaps he forgot or
! neglected it.
K short while after. I made whaley's sur
vey ne desired to increase his capacity, which
required a new survey, and MIR. Crensha W
sent Deputy Collector. Chisolm to make it,
| and while running under this survey it was
| were an inch or so too long and too wide.
| As soon as heard OF it informed Mr.. Cren-
| shaw ana he said he would send some deputy
| and have them made right.
| Some time after Mr.. haley increased his
| capacity. III. p. Strickland & Co. decreased
| theirs. and made this survey. When l went
| there | found all the fermenters full, and of
| course cou d not stay till they were emptied,
| and hence made the necessary alculations
| and instructed Mr.. Stow. storekeeper and
| gauger, to cut the fermenters down six inches
| each as fast as they were emptled which |
| am informed he aid.
| Now | have given my whole connection with
| the survey, which Lhapman Tugs in Ms pre-
text for his assault on Collector Crenshaw. 1t
| is true that being pressed for time and the
| parties not being ready. l did trust Mr..
| Whaley and Mr.. Strickland as above stated
who are as honorable as Chapman. II | did
wrong in trusting strickland and Whaley
| ChisOm did wrong in not measuring Whaley' s
| fermenters. But as to this Chapman is con-
spicuousy silent, and is threatening TO report
! Collector Crenshaw charging hill W tn ofici al
| corruption in removing Chlsom. IL Is clear
| to my mind that had been a Republican, ap-
| pointed by Grant. Hayes. or any other Repub-
| Iican. my name would not have been lugged
| into this matter.
| Chapman ana | owe each other nothing per-
| sonally. politically or otherwise, and if he has
| any charges to make against me, let him get
| his crowd together and make them, and will
| meet them. Respectfully, A. W. FITE.